#62 - Arsenal’s contract situation and what it means for squad planning
January was spent working on 'renewals' according to the manager. So I assess the current contract situations at the club & what needs sorting.
We were told the club were focusing on ‘renewals’ when they failed to do anything in the January transfer window. So this week, I thought I’d take a closer look at the contract situation.
This summer - contracts expiring
Neto, Sterling - loans expiring
Partey, Tierney, Jorginho
We should let all of these players go. It goes without saying that we won’t be chasing Neto and Sterling for permanent deals and Partey and Jorginho are high earners, the wrong side of 30, it’s time to move on and I believe the club have already decided that too.
The reality of that means Arsenal have to sign a new number 6. Even if you think Rice’s primary position should be there, he can’t play every minute of every game. Therefore, Arsenal will need to spend there and it seems Martin Zubimendi is the main target. The Spaniard has been top of Mikel Arteta’s desire list for years now and this could be the summer he finally gets his man. It does mean Arsenal will spend close to £50million on his release clause, potentially taking funds away from the much-needed new forward fund.
These releases also mean Arsenal will need to sign a backup keeper, and of course a forward (we will need two).
Given that’s at least four signings Arsenal will have to make, you’d think they may try to retain the likes of Jakub Kiwior, to avoid having to do too much. But I think that situation is very offer-dependent. He should go if we get a chance to earn £20m+ from a sale. With Zinchenko, Tierney and Kiwior going, I would invest in another defender. I think with Tomiyasu’s long-term absence, there’s a debate as to what ilk that central defender should be.
Contracts expiring next summer
Tomiyasu, Trossard, Zinchenko
I think Arsenal should look to recoup some money for Trossard in the coming summer and move on from Zinchenko. The issue is Arsenal need two forwards already this summer, and if they let Trossard go, they probably need another one. I do think there is an opportunity though to use a Trossard sale to fund the arrival of a slightly different profile. It’s clear the current set of forwards doesn’t possess all the skills and qualities required to unlock teams.
Arsenal need to sign an out-and-out left-winger and a centre forward. Let’s say that ends up being Nico Williams and Benjamin Sesko. That would leave you with Martinelli and Williams on the left, Sesko and Havertz through the middle and Nwaneri and Saka on the right. That’s a solid set of six forwards.
You don’t then need to replace Leo directly, you could look for a player of a slightly different profile, one capable of playing wide but also in more central zones. Eberechi Eze, Alex Beana and Alberto Moleiro spring to mind. Even a Matheus Cunha.
Tomiyasu is a trickier one, he’s out for the entirety of 2025, then you’d expect Arsenal to let his contract run down, unless the player manages to demonstrate his fitness in the second half of the season, then a short term extension could be on the cards, to build up some value more than anything else.
Contracts expiring summer 2027 (2 years)
Saka, Saliba, Gabriel, Martinelli, Jesus
Now this is where I hope the work was being done in January. This list contains many of Arsenal’s centre pieces for this squad long term. Both central defenders, Martinelli and Saka need to be signed up. I hope at least three of these extensions can be done before the summer.
This will free up time to work on the new arrivals but also send a message to potential targets that Arsenal are retaining their best talents and building on it.
Jesus is one I would sit on for a bit. He’s had another bad injury. In an ideal world he comes back, shows some form and we can recoup some money in summer 2026, but I would not extend his deal, no matter the form he returns to. There’s enough history there to know he’s not a building block for this squad moving forward.